News Releases - Superfund and Brownfields

EPA Finalizes Cleanup Plan to Address Contaminated Soil at the Woodbrook Road Dump Superfund Site in South Plainfield, New Jersey; Contaminated Soil and Debris to be Removed; Cleanup Expected to Cost $24 Million

(New York, N.Y.) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has finalized its cleanup plan to address contaminated soil and debris at the Woodbrook Road Dump Superfund site in South Plainfield, New Jersey. Previous dumping of old electrical capacitors at the site has contaminated some of the soil with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). PCBs are chemicals that persist in the environment and can affect the immune, reproductive, nervous and endocrine systems. Under the EPA plan, contaminated soil and debris will be dug up and removed.

The EPA held a public meeting in South Plainfield on August 26, 2013 to explain its proposed cleanup plan. The EPA took public comment for 30 days and considered public input before finalizing the plan.

“The EPA plan will advance a comprehensive cleanup of this site, which is in the vicinity of the Dismal Swamp – a natural wildlife refuge and an important wetland,” said EPA Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck. “Under the EPA plan, over 100,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil will be removed from the site to protect this natural resource and the environment.”

The Woodbrook Road Dump Superfund site was used as a dump in the 1940s and 1950s for both industrial and household waste until it was shut down by the state of New Jersey in 1958. Among the materials disposed of at the site were old electrical capacitors, which contained PCBs and contaminated the soil. Under EPA oversight, the current owner of the property, Texas Eastern Terminal Company, removed a number of PCB-contaminated capacitors, secured the site with fencing and placed warning signs around the area. The EPA added the Woodbrook Road Dump site to the Superfund list in 2003.

Under the EPA’s cleanup plan, as much as 124, 000 cubic yards of contaminated soil and debris will be dug up and disposed of at a facility licensed to handle the waste. All PCB-contaminated soil and debris above 1 part per million from both the Eastern and Western dump areas of the site will be disposed of out of the area. Wetland areas that are disturbed during the work will be restored. Ground water at the site is not contaminated with site-related chemicals. The EPA will conduct a review within five years to ensure the effectiveness of the cleanup.

The Superfund program operates on the principle that polluters should pay for the cleanups, rather than passing the costs to taxpayers. After sites are placed on the Superfund list of the most contaminated waste sites, the EPA searches for parties responsible for the contamination and holds them accountable for the costs of investigations and cleanups. The EPA estimates the cost of this cleanup will be about $24 million.